


Growth Opportunities: Chapter Two

by gemini_cole



Series: Growth Opportunities [2]
Category: Chris Evans - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-17
Updated: 2015-05-17
Packaged: 2018-03-31 01:26:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3959218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini_cole/pseuds/gemini_cole





	Growth Opportunities: Chapter Two

Growth Opportunities: Chapter Two

 

 

Honor Magdalene Marie Phillips bolted up the stairs to her apartment, keys in hand. Not even the satisfactorily loud slam of the door behind her seemed to dull her anger. Blowing off her final class of the day after her “chat” with Professor Evans, Honor’s anger had only increased with time and distance, and even the brisk walk home from campus took the wind out of her sails.

            “Hey! You’re home early!”

            The currently bright purple hair of her roommate Aja Walker popped up from behind the couch in their living room, smiling at her quizzically. Honor huffed out a breath as she kicked off her shoes, and tossed her backpack on the floor.

            “Ugh, yeah. I couldn’t face my Ethics and Integrity class after Professor Evans reamed my paper a new asshole.” She sarcastically used air quotes around “Professor Evans” and rolled her eyes.  She threw her hands in the air as she continued, “I mean, _who_ does he think he is? Mr. “ooh, I’m a film professor, I like to talk about _meaning_ and _feelings_ and what the director meant by the addition of backlight in filming a scene. What an pompous, egotistical, arrogant asshole!”

            “Oooh, Miss Honor, you said a bad word! I’m gonna tell Mommy on you!”

            Honor stopped short, spinning slowly at the tiny voice behind her. She was greeted to the sight of three small children staring at her, two solemnly, and one with an impish grin that said, “I cause trouble wherever I go and I like it!” Spinning back around to glare accusingly at Aja. “You couldn’t give me a head’s up? Why are they here? Shouldn’t we be going to them?”

            Aja stood up from behind the couch, two stuffed animals in hand. Handing them to the smallest of the three, she pointed to the couch. “Sit and be quiet, and Miss Honor and I will make popcorn for a movie night! How does that sound?” As the kids cheered and scampered to the couch, Aja smirked at Honor, replying, “You know how I love these bitter diatribes of yours. It’s hard to get a word in edgewise when you get on a roll. Anyway, two kids came down with head lice, so Mama thought it would be best for us to close the center for a day or two, to scrub and disinfect everything. Since we couldn’t exactly give notice to the parents, we, or to be more accurate, you are watching the three kids whose parents couldn’t find backups here. Got it?”

            Honor, who’s own scalp had started to itch in sympathy at the thought of head lice, stopped short as she was filling juice cups. “Wait. Why just me?”

            Aja snorted. “Don’t even try to get out of it. You know you promised to work for me tonight, I’m picking Katja up at eight!”

            Honor groaned, remembering. “Right. Katja. Is this the dancer or the Chem major?”

            Aja winked, grinning wickedly as she gathered up the popcorn bowls, moving back to the living room. “Neither. I met her at the vet’s office.”

            Honor followed, wondering how, given that they had no pets, had Aja even made that happen.

            As Honor settled everyone down with their tiny bowls of popcorn and cups of juice, Aja popped “Frozen” into the DVD player. While the kids were transfixed, Aja and Honor stood in the living room doorway whispering back and forth.

            “So you never actually got around to telling me what Professor Hottie did that got your panties in a twist.”

            Honor rolled her eyes. “Professor Hottie? Really?”

            Aja shrugged and grinned good-naturedly. “Just because I drive my car on the other side of the street doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the scenery. And _that_ is one fine lookin’ man. Dang, I might even reconsider. So? What happened?”

            “He gave me a C.”

            “As in Hep C?”

            “Aja! No! As in, a C on my paper. Actually, he didn’t technically give it yet.”

            “What do you mean?”

            Honor sighed. “He wrote on my paper to see him after class.”

            “You know, this is how every good porno starts.”

            Honor hissed, “Aja! Seriously?”

            Aja shrugged and stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth, motioning for Honor to continue.

            “Anyway, he said that my paper focused too much on the technicalities of the movie, and none at all on the emotion of it, or my personal reaction to it. So he gave me the option to re-watch the movie with him, then write a smaller reflection paper based on our discussion afterwards.”

            “Sounds like homeboy wants to get in your pants.”

            “Aja, be serious. Oh, and he said that he noticed that I don’t participate in the message boards or interact with the other students. So basically, I’m a frigid bitch.”

            “Sounds like he’s doing an awful lot of watching you, if you know what I mean.” Aja smirked and dusted the popcorn crumbs from her shirt, turning towards the bedrooms. As she walked away, she whispered, “Just sayin’, Honor. Game recognizes game. He’s into you.”

            Honor rolled her eyes. “He so isn’t. And I wouldn’t, even if he was. It’s unethical. And gross. How many others do you think he’s done this with? Also, I doubt I’m his “type.” I’m not exactly the innocent undergrad, awed by his intellect and world experience.”

            Aja turned in her bedroom doorway and winked back at her. “Maybe that’s why he’s into you in the first place. Honor Phillips, wayward daughter of the great Malcolm Phillips, multimillionaire CEO and philanthropist.”

            Honor rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that’s even worse. Stop talking. Go get ready for your date, I’ll watch the kids.”

            Before Aja could reply the email notification pinged on the phone in Honor’s pocket. Pressing the icon to retrieve it, she was greeted with the following:

 

_Miss Phillips-_

_After checking my schedule, Tuesday and Thursday nights, both after 7pm work for me. Which of these days works for you? Please let me know. I’ll happily supply pizza if you let me know what you like on your pie._

 

_Regards,_

_Professor Evans._

Honor checked the calendar on her phone. Frowning when she saw that she was scheduled to work both nights, she poked her head into Aja’s room.

            “He can only do a Tuesday or Thursday night for this movie thing.  Could you work for me Tuesday since I’m working tonight for you?”

            Aja nodded distractedly as she worked to zip up the back of a halter-top. As she preened in the mirror, she grinned back at Honor. “Changing your life around for him already, huh? This is the start of a beautiful fling.”

            “Shut up, Aja.”

The sound of Aja chortling “bow-chicka-bow-bow” followed Honor as she made her way back to the now sleeping kids in the living room. As she typed and then retyped her reply, she struggled to maintain a sense of professionalism.

 

_Dear Professor Evans-_

_Go to hell, you condescending-_

 

Nope, that wasn’t it.

 

_Dear Professor Evans-_

_After checking my very busy schedule,_

 

“He doesn’t care about your life, Honor,” she admonished herself, backspacing once again. Finally,

 

_Professor Evans-_

_7pm on Tuesday works for me. See you then._

_-Honor Phillips_

 

Pressing send, she turned off her phone, shoving it in her pocket as she began cleaning up the mess in the living room. Sighing to herself, she nodded goodbye to Aja as she grabbed her books, intent on studying for a few hours before the children’s parents would arrive to pick up their kids. Pulling out her Ethics and Integrity text, her worn copy of Marguerite Duras’s “The Lover” slid out with it. Honor stared at it for several moments before abandoning her text in favor of the book. Several hours later, she was armed with several pages of notes. She wondered briefly if she could just rewrite the paper now, and save herself the trouble of movie night, before rejecting the idea completely. “At least I’ll get free pizza,” she mumbled to herself, dreading Tuesday already.


End file.
